Hollywood never gets bored with mothers. Over the years, they’ve glorified, vilified, and otherwise memorialized enough great mom characters to fill a book—and now, Richard Corliss has written just that with Mom in the Movies.

Returning from maternity leave can be a tough transition for some new moms. So if you’re getting ready to join the ranks of working mothers, there are some things you can do now to make it easier later. Here are six smart steps to take.